


forever's gonna start tonight

by ignitethestars



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Basically, Coda, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fitzsimmons talk, Hurt/Comfort, for once, kissing and crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 12:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignitethestars/pseuds/ignitethestars
Summary: Coda fic for 4.21--Fitzsimmons discuss their relationship and their possible future together.





	forever's gonna start tonight

**Author's Note:**

> CAN YOU HEAR THE SOUND OF MY HEART BREAKING?? They've destroyed me. Fitzsimmons have ruined me, at last. So here's my coda fic (which MADE ME CRY?!?!!) for "The Return" to go with thefitzsimmonsnetwork's coda challenge! 
> 
> Brief mentions of Fraida, the Framework, ect.

"Fitz, I know this is...a really bad time to bring this up," Jemma whispered, guiding him to the lab (their lab). "But it also feels like the best time."

 

Fitz still wouldn't meet her eye--it would take awhile for that, she imagined--so she took his hand in hers. 

 

"Fitz," she breathed softly. "I...oh, I don't know how to say this."

 

"s'alright," Fitz mumbled quietly, "I understand. I can't say I blame you after everything I’ve done.”

 

Jemma tried to catch a glimpse at his eyes,to try to figure out exactly what he was thinking. He had gotten quite good at masking his emotions when he wanted to, but his eyes always gave him away. They were far too expressive. But every time she tried to look, he turned his head away.

 

“Our relationship is dead, Jemma.” He said in a quick breath. “I killed it. All I wanted was to protect you and somehow...somehow I managed to hurt you more than anything else.”

 

“Oh, Fitz.” Jemma hung her head, tears blurring her vision. She wanted to compose herself, to be strong for him, but she couldn’t.  After Radcliffe and A.I.D.A (the first one) they had promised each other they would no longer keep secrets from each other. And she wasn’t going to break that now. So she looked up at him, tears and all.

 

“What happened in the Framework...that wasn’t you. Please don’t interrupt, Fitz, not now. That wasn’t you, but you’re going to feel guilty for it for a long time. Possibly for the rest of your life. And I understand, Fitz. I do. I understand what it’s like to feel guilty, maybe not like this, but...I understand. And I’m not going to let you go through this alone.”

 

Fitz stared at her with a broken expression and he let out a weak sob, “I don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve you or your love.”

 

“Like it or not, Fitz, I love you. And I always will love you. I’ll spend the rest of my life loving you.” Jemma whispered, closing the distance between them and pressing her forehead against his. “Your...your duplicate mentioned that you were going to propose...that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me. And I want you to know that I do too.”

 

“You can’t--not after all that I’ve done--” Fitz croaked, moving away off the stool, looking at her with disbelief. “You deserve someone--”

 

“I deserve to be with the person that I love, Fitz. And so do you.” Jemma replied earnestly,  standing up and moving toward him. She willed him to believe her but she knew right now he couldn’t, but maybe one day he would. “And I’m willing to wait for however long you need for us to make that step. Because I swear to you, I’m going to be beside you the whole damn time.”

 

Fitz closed the distance between them, pressing his lips fervently against hers. She clutched at the lapels of his shirt, pulling herself closer to him. They were both crying and the weight of all they’d gone through had hit them both, like a tsunami of pain and hurt.

 

He kissed her desperately as though he was trying to reacquaint himself of the feel of her lips against his, as if he was trying to convince himself that this was real. He kissed her with as much intensity as he had during their first kiss, when he had pressed her up against the lab desk.

 

Jemma moved her fingers through his curls, sealing promises against his lips. Promises to never doubt them again, to never give up, to always be there.  Fitz wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

 

They were drowning themselves in the feel of each other's’ lips, yet they clutched at each other like the lifeline they so desperately needed. The rough but familiar pull and push of their kiss was enough to make Jemma want to sob with relief. He was back. He was back.

 

She clutched at his shirt again, grabbing fistfulls of the fabric and sobbed against his lips. He broke away and pressed kisses all over her face--her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, her mouth--before breaking down himself. Jemma pulled him into a tight embrace, holding onto him like she would never let go (and she never would, not again).

 

“‘M so sorry, Jemma.” Fitz cried against her shirt, “‘m so sorry.”

 

Tears streamed down Jemma’s face as she replied, “I know. I know. I forgive you. I forgive you for everything that you can’t forgive yourself for.”

 

“I could’ve killed you. I was going to-”

 

“Shh..”

 

“‘M so so sorry…” 

 

“I’ve got you,” Jemma said with a quiet determination. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.”

 

“How can you believe that?” Fitz sobbed, breaking away from her but not straying too far from her, which was an improvement. “After everything I’ve done?”

 

Jemma reached forward and took his hand into hers and linked their fingers together, “Because I love you. And a virtual reality won’t change that. Nothing will.”

 

Fitz froze and blinked owlishly at her, “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Jemma confirmed, leaning forward slowly, giving him the opportunity to back away, but he didn’t, so she pressed her lips against his again before drawing back and pressing her forehead against his.

 

“I just want you to know..” Fitz trailed off a moment before taking a deep breath and trying again, “I love you...I love you so much, Jemma Anne Simmons. And nothing will ever change that. I just didn’t want you to think after-”

 

“You didn’t have a choice, Fitz. Do you really think I would’ve been upset with you for that?”

 

“I just want you to know, you’re the only person I love.” Fitz said, kissing her knuckles. His eyes were still red from crying, but they were wide and pleading, as if he were begging her to believe him.

 

“I heard...I was watching when you told her.” Jemma replied with a small, sheepish smile. Fitz smiled at her slightly, before it faded.

 

“The android told you I was going to propose?” He asked, looking crestfallen. 

 

“Fitz..” Jemma scoffed. “We’ve basically been engaged since before we got together. Perthshire, remember?”

 

“As if I could forget,” he replied with a bright smile, which quickly turned into a wary expression. “You still want that? Perthshire, a cottage...marriage.”

 

“Of course, I do. Do you?”

 

Fitz looked down for a moment and fear curled around Jemma’s gut as she waited for an answer. At last, he looked up and said, “It’s like you said: some things are inevitable.”

 

Jemma choked out a laugh, tears flowing freely. But for once, they were happy tears. She leaned forward, cupping his cheek, and kissed him again. 

 

They were going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to yell at me in the comments, leave kudos if you're comfortable with that!


End file.
